A Vero cell line was used for coculture of bovine in vitro fertilized eggs up to blastocyst stage in comparison with bovine oviductal epithelial cells (BOEC) in two culture systems: monolayers or microdrops. Inseminated oocytes cocultured for 7 days with Vero cells in microdrops resulted in a significantly higher blastocyst rate compared to BOEC (29.5% vs 21.1%, respectively; P < 0.01). This difference was not significant in the monolayer coculture system although the blastocyst rate tended to be higher with Vero than with BOEC monolayers (27% vs 22.3%, respectively). Interestingly, the coefficient of variation between replicates was lower in both Vero cell groups than in BOEC groups indicating that Vero cells may help reduce variability. Medium conditioned by Vero cells partly supported embryo development compared to coculture itself (14.6% vs 26.5%, respectively; P < 0.01). Blastocysts developed on Vero cells contained significantly more cells (142 +/- 39) than those developed on BOEC (88.8 +/- 32.8, P < 0.001). Viability of blastocysts developed on Vero cells was evaluated by single transfer to 26 recipient heifers. Confirmed pregnancy rate after 3 months was 58%, demonstrating their high viability.
